American History X

Defining Something by What It Is Not in American History XHis racist cheeks are covered in tears as he is interviewed about his father’s recent death. Derek pours his emotions out to the bewildered interviewer for the local news channel expressing, “Decent hard working Americans like my dad are getting rubbed out by social parasites” and as the reporter is confused Derek responds with’ “…blacks, browns, yellow whatever”. Before his father passed away he had been shoving extremely prejudicial views into his oldest son’s mind. The killing of Derek’s father by an African American man made Derek lose all control and any respect he had for other ethnicities. These foreign thoughts and beliefs that Derek now held are all from his father’s set of myths and stories. The film “American History X” illustrates myth to exploit the results that come with it such as dehumanization and discrimination. Primarily, the concept of myth is exploited in the film. In the article, “How American Myths Are Made” by Evan Thomas and Andrew Romano the term myth is dissected and discussed in a very simple yet elegant way. “As a term, myth is much misunderstood; hearing it, many people take the word to mean ‘lie,’ when in fact a myth is a story, a narrative that explains individual or national realities-how a person or country came to be, why certain things happen in the course of a life or of history, and what fate may have in store for us” (56). Myth is a very broad word. Some people may know what it means, while others claim to know what it means. In his essay, Sam Keen explains the difference between what a myth is and what some “think” it is. He demonstrates, “Journalists usually use it to mean a ‘lie,’ ‘fabrication,’ ‘illustration,’ ‘mistake,’ or something similar. It is the opposite of what is supposedly a ‘fact,’ of what is ‘objectively,’ the case, and of what is ‘reality’’’ (6). He helps the reader understand what a myth is by defining what it is not. Telling the reader the...

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AmericanHistoryX
Application Paper
Lamar Booker
Drawing concepts from two theorists, Dubois and Weber, I intend to grasp their concepts out of the film AmericanHistoryX and draw examples to explain their concepts and how they can apply to social practices.
“Stereotypes and Slippery slopes were another way DuBois approaches cultural oppression. “Stereotypes rely on categorizing large groups of people in particular ways even without any personal knowledge or experience with group members. Attributes become rigidly held and contradictory information is dismissed or discredited.” (Erikson, 2014: class notes) Society influences stereotypes and the way people perceive others. Dubois talks about the way society uses the term white and how it refers to everything that is good, pure, and decent. In contrast the term black refers to everything that is despicable, ignorant, and that instill fear. (Allan, 2011)” (Booker, 2014)
“Slippery slope deals with members of the oppressed group come to see themselves in terms of the stereotypes. (Erikson, 2014: class notes) Dubois believes that it is easy for society to oppress cultural identity. He sees the African American as standing helpless, and dismayed before the nameless prejudice that becomes expressed in the all pervading desire to inculcate disdain for everything black. (Allan, 2011:...

...In the opening scene, we see Danny Vinyard, a young white supremacist, sitting in the principal's office, waiting to be summoned. As we move into the office, we hear and see Danny's history teacher (Elliot Gould) explaining to the principal, Dr. Sweeney (Avery Brooks), that Danny wrote a book report on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. The teacher tells Dr. Sweeney that he is offended by Danny's gesture and he wants to see him punished, declaring that Danny was pressured into writing the paper by his older brother Derek, although Sweeney assures him that Derek was not involved. Instead, Sweeney asks the teacher to leave and asks Danny to step in.Danny then puts an American flag toothpick in mouth, Danny steps into the office and sits down. Dr. Sweeney begins yelling at Danny, telling him that writing what he did is offensive. Sweeney tells him that he is now his new history teacher. The class is called AmericanHistoryX and the next assignment is due tomorrow morning; a paper on his brother, Derek (Edward Norton), analyzing all the events leading up to Derek's incarceration and the subsequent impact on Danny's life. After this, Danny walks out. The next scene opens with three black boys beating up a white boy in the men's bathroom for telling the teacher that one of them cheated. Suddenly, Danny appears out of one of the stalls and blows the smoke from his cigarette into one of the boys' face. As...

...AmericanHistoryX is clearly a film dealing with racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is treated. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, AmericanHistoryX presents it without any reservations or dumming down. Second, the film's figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligent, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not just the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools to be involved in this, but all racism is foolish. Through these methods, the film shows the viewer, extremely convincingly, that hatred and racism will destroy a person and those around him.
It is immediately revealed to the audience at the outset of this movie that there will be no holds barred and no playing down the realism of this intense racial hatred. When the film flashes back to the reason for Derek's incarceration, we see Danny wake up his brother to tell him that some black guys are trying to steal or wreck his truck, and Derek immediately jumps out of bed, grabs a gun, and shoots one of them, wounds another and fires at the third as he drives away. Then, in one of the most brutal scenes in film history, Derek forces the...

...Sociology and the ways it affects humanity can be held as a positive or a negative. Racial tensions among people exist and are demonstrated in all kinds of ways and in varying degrees. The views of some can be very influential to those without purpose or cause. Tragic events can spur a type of behavior or thought process that is skewed by ones pain or anger. These are just a few areas of what the movie AmericanHistoryX touches on.
The primary sociological behavior displayed in this movie is deviance, which is defined as an individual going against the norms of society. Norms are a standard to a particular society or group as displayed here with race. The father in this movie, Dennis Vineyard, was a firefighter who worked for his community and while putting out a fire was killed by African American drug dealers. While raising his children, he instilled his thoughts, beliefs and opinions of different races, holding a certain perspective about a group of people that he described as a parasite. He believed that a type of society driven rule that is to allow for a fair balance to a societies imperfections known as Affirmative Action, causes a deviant yet nonviolent view of black society. A conversation at the dinner table that leads to an outcome of disgust, anger and even fear due to the nature of an open minded being. The lack of life’s experiences can sometimes form a mind to accept many interpretations...

...AMERICANHISTORYXAmericanHistoryX (1998) illustrates how segregation is aggravated by missing father figures as well as the herd mentality of the characters in the film. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the herd mentality states that people need a concept or a worldview to adopt in order to give meaning to their lives. This herding of people who choose to adopt this certain ideal or ideals in effect causes the stifling of individual thoughts or creativity because everyone chooses to think a certain way (Floyd). This mindset that people are attracted to is not always chosen or forced but is rather seen as an obligation because of loyalties certain people have to others.
Derek Vinyard, played by Edward Norton, starts to adopt this racist mindset that all races other than white are the downfall of society in a flashback scene where he is speaking with his father about school and his father tells him not to listen to the "nigger bullshit" of his black Social Studies teacher, Dr. Bob Sweeney played by Avery Brooks. Derek's obvious interest in Dr. Sweeney's lessons fades almost immediately upon hearing these words from his father and Derek begins to agree with his father's statements. Derek is not forced by his father to feel this way; however, he took it upon himself to feel this way because he looks up to his father. His individual thoughts are stifled because he...

...The film I chose to do my reflection paper on is called AmericanHistoryX, and is one of my all-time favorites. The movie is about a man named Derek Vinyard, an impressionable young man who becomes involved in a “white power” gang after the murder of his father. After Derek’s incarceration, his younger brother, Daniel Vinyard, idolizes him and begins to go down the exact same path. Throughout Derek’s time in prison he realized that he was manipulated by a man named Cameron, and his entire outlook on race was wrong. His teacher, Dr. Sweeney, helps him overcome his anger and set him on a path to save his younger brother from the same fate.
The beginning of the movie starts out with a brief flashback of the night Derek was arrested. A few black gang members are armed outside of his house. Without hesitation, Derek goes out his front door and murders them all. Danny witnesses the ruthless killings, and is traumatized. Even though Derek caused his family many hardships, Danny still thought of him as a hero and wanted to be the epitome of his older brother. He started associating with a man named Cameron Alexander, the leader of their “white power” subculture.
It is explained in the film that there were no white gangs in Venice Beach before Cameron Alexander came along. After Cameron and Derek became friends, he used Derek for his popularity to gain more members for his white gang. Stigmas against all non-whites were the backbone...

...The film AmericanHistoryX is rated by the users of IMDB.com (Internet Movie DataBase) as one of the 50 best films ever made. It is a crime/drama, a very violent film; not for the faint-hearted. AmericanHistoryX was released in 1998, and it is directed by Tony Kaye.
Casting:
-Edward Norton (Derek Vinyard)
-Edward Furlong (Daniel Vinyard)
-Avery Brooks (Dr. Bob Sweeney)
-Stacy Keach (Cameron Alexander)
-Beverly D'Angelo (Doris Vinyard)
-Jennifer Lien (Davina Vinyard)
Summary
The setting is in Venice Beach, USA, and tells the story about Derek Vinyard, taking place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Derek Vinyard is a very bright and charismatic student, who is drawn in to the neo-Nazi gangs when his father gets killed at work (a fire-fighter) by a black drug-dealer. Derek believes that blacks are the reason of every problem in the USA; Crime, poverty, etc., and when his father is killed by a black drug-dealer, a “social parasite” in his opinion, his hatred against blacks gets even stronger.
He becomes second in command in the Venice Beach neo-Nazi gang DOC, The Disciples of Christ, and they do what they can to take Venice Beach “back”, currently it is dominated by black and Mexican gangs. Cameron Alexander, the number one DOC, uses Derek to recruit young whites, and as soon as they are numerous enough they start attacking the Mexicans and...

...becomes second-in-command of a neo-Nazi street gang, The D.O.C. (Disciples of Christ), and entices young whites to join. Tried and convicted, Derek is sent away for three years in prison, where he acquires a different outlook as he contrasts white-power prisoners with black Lamont, his prison laundry co-worker and eventual pal. Flashbacks, told in reverse chronology and represented by black-and-white throughout the film which is opposed to the present-day events represented in color, Meanwhile, Danny, with a shaved head and a rebellious attitude, seems destined to follow in his big brother's footsteps. After Danny writes a favorable review of Hitler's Mein Kampf, black high-school principal Sweeney puts Danny
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in his private "AmericanHistoryX" course and assigns him to do a paper about his older brother, who was a former student of Sweeney's. This serves to introduce flashbacks, with the film backtracking to illustrate Danny's account of Derek's life prior to the night of the shooting. Monochrome sequences of Derek leading a Venice, California gang are intercut with color footage of the mature Derek ending his past neo-Nazi associations and attempting to detour Danny away from the group led by white supremacist, Cameron, who once influenced Derek. At a neo-Nazi party which Derek and Danny are both attending (despite the fact that Derek told Danny not to attend), Derek confronts and tells the leader, Cameron Alexander, that...